Teaching your bird to eat green

This has been said time and time again: birds do not eat what they do not recognize as food. Offering an item once or twice is not enough to decide the bird doesn’t like it. It may take weeks, months or longer for a bird to try and eat different things. If something you never saw before was placed in front of you, would you know what it was and what you were supposed to do with it? Would you automatically eat anything that was put on a plate before you? Have you ever experienced someone saying they didn’t like something they never ate? The same is true for birds. You can improve your birds’ diet. There is no secret to it, you just have to do it. It takes work, time and patience. The time to start is right now, not tomorrow, next week or next month. Start now or it will be put it off and it will not happen.

The Green Approach

There is no need to make this an expensive effort. You can grow some of the greens with little effort. Some of the best greens are considered weeds like dandelion. If you are growing or picking greens, vegetables, fruit, etc. make sure they are free of chemicals. Store-bought greens and veggies must also be washed thoroughly.

When you are preparing dinner, hold a little on the side for your birds. A piece or two is all you need to start with. If they eat it, you can give them more next time. If they do not, you did not waste very much. The basic nutrition rules are the same for birds as they are for us. Eat veggies. Dark green leafy and yellow/orange vegetables are some of the best. Don’t forget the mashed potatoes, pastas, etc. Hold the sauces and gravies — no need to add extra fat to their diet. Before you consume the entire pizza, offer a piece of the crust to a pair or two. You can offer your chicks a wide variety of food items as they are weaning when they are learning and experiencing new things. Introduction to a good basic diet at this stage will provide them with a good nutritional start to life.